I feel like a slacker

I haven't posted since Thanksgiving and I feel like quite the slacker........ It has been a crazy weekend, not in a "busy" way but in a "stressful" way. Having a lot of issues with the in-laws (what the HELL else is new) and I am really at the end of my rope with them and all the bullshit. My husband , I know is feeling very much "in the middle". Just like everyone else being married ( to a husband who is disabled , mind you) and raising 2 kids is not easy. I really don't feel like having the extra stress of being subjected to them and their "attitude" on a daily basis is fair to me or my kids..
We live in a side-by-side two family house and they live RIGHT NEXT DOOR...... let me give you a visual. If you have every seen the tv show "Everybody Loves Raymond" that would pretty much give you an idea of what my family life is like. My father-in-law is just as rude (even more-so) then the father Frank, my mother-in-law is a lot like Doris (just not as chipper as Doris can be, she is way more miserable). My brother-in-law is sort of the opposite of Robert (Robert is a cop) mine gets in trouble with the cops. But he is a big tall goof-ball that my MIL coddles like a 2 year old. My husband would be Ray, but his mother doesn't kiss his ass like Doris does Ray's and that would make me Deborah the only NORMAL one in the whole INSANE bunch!! UGH, I keep telling myself "one of these days, we will get the f-ck out of here" and I'm telling ya, it better happen SOON or I will not be responsible for my actions. LOL

Thanks
xoxo

Happy Thanksgiving

I wasn't going to do a Thanksgiving post, but I am awake and don't know what else I should do with myself right now! I should be cleaning, doing a last load of laundry or peeling potatoes but I haven't even finished my first cup of coffee yet.
My mother and brother are coming to my house this year, it is a first! As some of you know my husband had major neck surgery about a month ago and to put him in a car for an hour and a half drive to my sister's house would have been very uncomfortable for him. ( and me too.... I hate hearing him bitch about the drive to her house every year!) I will let you all know how this one turns out, I'm kinda nervous about the whole thing. Something usually always goes wrong when I have my family to my house. Over the summer we had a god awful sewer-type smell and my freakin father-in-law called the fire department. One other time my stove did some funky electrical thing (even though it is gas) and shorted itself out . I thought my ham and sweet potatoes were cooking and the oven wasn't even on!
Not starting this visit on a good note either, a mouse (well at least I hope it is a mouse) crawled into the wall somewhere in my bathroom and DIED!! groosssss , it is small bathroom with no window (only a vent fan , that is broken thank-you-very-much) so you can only imagine it stinks of dead rodent and apple cinnamon air freshener! I can hear through the very thin walls, my mother and father in law fighting! GREAT, they better shut their freakin mouths when my mother and brother get here!

I am going to stop my bitching and complaining now and say some things I am "Thankful" for..... *I am thankful for my family ( and by MY, I do mean MINE .... my in-laws can go suck an egg this Thanksgiving) oh, sorry that was a bitch and complain , won't do that again anymore I swear! LOL *I am thankful for my friends, I know I am not always the best friend in the world. But I am trying and wouldn't know where I would be with out each and everyone of them! *I am thankful I have 2 great kids they might drive me nuts sometimes, but I am very well aware I could have sooo much worse (considering my oldest is 16 and I know what my brother and I were doing at 16....yikes!)
I almost want to make wishes, but Thanksgiving isn't for that it is for being "thankful" for what you do have! So today I will be thankful for what I have and save the "wishes" for my birthday!

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving
Gobble , Gobble

Wordless Wednesday

My 9 year old son Thomas loves to "play" teacher....he has several white boards in his room. Lately he has been leaving me an "agenda" of to things to do every night (ummmm, wonder where the kid gets his obsession with list-making from??) usually the agenda consists of things like.... "I need a water bottle for school tomorrow", "sign my reading" or "don't forget cookie money". But Monday night's agenda simply read: "LOVE ME."

AWWWW....isn't that just the sweetest thing ever?? Who couldn't love that freakin kid?

For more "Wordless Wednesday" posts check out 5 Minutes for Mom.

To Do Tuesday

Well an other week has just come and gone..... This week has been a little nuts for me, for some crazy reason my mother has trusted ME to cook out Thanksgiving dinner. She is bringing the stuffing and sweet potatoes (which to me are the most important things anyway, so at least I won't screw those up) I have been cleaning and shopping like a crazy-person. I don't "do" formal get-togethers at all, it isn't my "thing".

Are you a crazy list-making nutjob like me and Lisa over at Crazy Adventures in Parenting? Then get over to her site link up and check out everyone else's To Do Tuesday Lists.

This week's List:

* Finish cleaning my house ( ya know, the "real" clean, the "company" clean....not the every day "spit and a prayer" kind of clean)

* Check out the Black Friday flyers ( I don't normally participate in this mayhem, but I figured if there is something for a good deal that is on my list, I might just go for it...... but don't expect me to shower if I'm getting up at the "crack-ass of dawn" )

* Mail out the ornaments from my Bloggers Ornament Exchange ( that really should have been done yesterday ....)

* Blog posts ( not sure I will get to that til this weekend)

* Take down Fall Decor and start putting up Christmas ( I will start that this weekend too)

* Try to enjoy Thanksgiving and not make myself too crazy over it:

* Last but not Least................ starting Sat it is "DIET-TIME" Holy Crap, I have been just the worse lately and really need to focus and do it!! I have got this damn Wii Fit sitting here on the floor 3 feet away from me that I clean the dust bunnies off of every week!!!

Have a Great Thanksgiving Everyone and let the insanity of the Christmas Season Begin.........

Thanks

xoxo

Anyone Have a Time Machine?

Today, my first born, my 16 year old son Nick is taking his Driver's License Test. I have been nervous and anxious, but today I am down right freaking out!! Wait, wait.... it was just yesterday that I was at the hospital for 28 hours of labor. Then before I knew it I was watching him ride the Kindergarten Bus and now he is a Junior in High School talking about College. With all the new laws here in Connecticut, he won't be able to drive with any of his friends in the car with him the first year. Whewww, that makes me feel a little better but it is the scariest thing I have had to do as a Mother so far.

I am so freaked out, that I really can't think of anything else to write, other then........... Does anyone have a time machine? If that is not possible I will take any donation of booze and Xanax!!

Wish him ( and me ) LUCK!!!

Thanks

xoxo

Wordless Wednesday

This is our bird "Chickie" ( well, really he is my husband's bird ) He goes everywhere with him and you can usually find him on my husband's shoulder or making a giant freakin mess in my house!

For more Wordless Wednesday posts go check out 5 Minutes for Mom.

To Do Tuesday

Holy Crap, it is Tuesday already?........ time is just flying by. Last week's list is all taken care of, I think it is hysterical that yesterday I checked it to make sure I did everything on there. ( As if, you all would be mad at me if I didn't get to something or that you would even know if I lied and said I did it all , when really I just sat here all week twiddling my thumbs) LOL But I did do it all ( well, maybe I "half-assed" cleaned my freezer, but I got it cleaned and somewhat organized and now I know what is in there).

So if you want to get in with the rest of us "obsessive compulsive" list makers , check out Lisa over at Crazy Adventures in Parenting to link up.

So this week is an other crazy week around here and have already done way too much, and it has only just begun. So here is my list:

*order corsage for my son's girlfriend ( he is having his Junior Dance Friday night, where he will be getting his very expensive "Class Ring")

*break down the rest of the cardboard boxes that we took out of my husband's mess of a hobby room (there is like 25 of them)

*Take back all the recycling ( soda cans and bottled water piles up around here, but at least this chore I get money back for doing)

*Get all the necessary paperwork together for my 16yr son's DRIVING TEST on Thursday. (**biting my nails...I don't even want to talk about this right now**)

* Bake for "Holiday Craft Night" at my youngest son's school on Thursday night ( yeah, have you figured out, Thursday is going to be one-fun-day) I also need to make signs, gather up trays, table clothes and some decorations.

*Try to buy a couple more Christmas gifts this week ( I did make my list last week, and actually bought a few things)

* Pay my cable bill (whooops , they called last night)

* Make grocery list/dinner list : This week I am planning on trying to live out of the freezer, we have so much in there. So hopefully my grocery list/bill will be small this week.

*Work on my PTO business ( I am the Vice President and am in charge of our Holiday Store coming up in December) Oriental Trading is my BFF right now!

* Blog designing, writing, reading and commenting ( I am a little frustrated with this whole thing right now, not feeling too much love lately. ) But I'm not giving up!

*Figure out a way to take/pay for a vacation next year: and not our regular Summer Beach Vacation with my family either. I am in desperate need of one and so is my husband and kids!!

Well, I think that is it for now..... I am sure I will be adding to it as the week goes on.

Have a great week!!

Thanks

xoxo

1st "Monday Mingle"... (sort of)

Good morning, I really wanted to get into this new blog carnival/meme (whatever you call it). I thought it was a cool idea when I saw Cheryl over at TheBudgeBunch.com do it a couple of weeks ago. It is the idea of Jennifer at Eighty MPH Mom. Go check her out and if want to do it too she has it so you can link-up and join in on the fun.

But this week I am not going to link up , because technically this is supposed to be a vlog and I am not feeling too hot today (let's face it anyway no one is going to see this regardless if I write it or vlog it, so what's the diff.)

Each week she has questions that she posts for you to answer in your vlog. So, here are this weeks questions:

1. Have you ever gone streaking or skinny dipping? HELL No, and I really don't think anyone would want to see that anyway!!!

2. If you could invite 5 people to dinner, who would it be? I thought and thought about this and I guess I could have picked 5 celebrities.... but I think I would want to have people that I have lost in my life (that passed away) like my brother Andrew, my old boyfriend from high school Joey, my Aunt Pat (mom's sister) , my Nana (my mom's grandmother) and then my 5th person would be my mom, cuz she would just have to be there to see all of them!!

3. Would you rather have X-ray vision or Bionic hearing? That is an easy one for me, "Bionic Hearing" for sure.......... I am sooo nosey and have to know everything!!! LOL

4. Do you tap your fingers from index finger to pinky or Vice / Versa ? I had to sit and do it to get this answer..... I do it from pinky to index finger. (can't do it the other way at all)

5. Would you rather stand 4'1" or 7'9"? An other easy one for me, I would rather be 4'1" . See I am about 5'7" and have been forever, always taller then my friends and pretty much everyone in school ......and I hated it!! Not to mention when you are short everyone always says "your cute"... I never was called "cute"!!

6. What is your favorite Thanksgiving dinner dish? Sweet potatoes, honestly it is all I really could have on my plate ( well maybe just a little turkey , cuz it's Thanksgiving and all) but SWEET POTATOES for sure!!!

Well that was fun, a bit lame cuz it wasn't a "vlog" but I did it anyway!!

Hopefully next week I will get off my pity-party-pot" and actually vlog my answers.

Thanks..

xoxo

My Office?

Ugh, as I sit here on a rainy Saturday in Ct..... I know I should be cleaning my house (ya know the one I am constantly bitchin' about being a mess?) If could just find the energy to do anything other then sit here in my chair with HGTV on in the background , computer on my lap, hanging out on Facebook, Twitter and the Blogosphere then I would do it!
Listen to me blaming my laziness on a lack of energy. It makes me feel less of a slacker and more like there is something medically wrong with me if I use the words "no energy" then "my fat ass doesn't feel like doing it today."

Back to the title of my post "My Office", my house is somewhat small and I don't have an extra room that could be "my office" (as if I am important and have a job~hahahaha~that's a joke).
So I am forced to use my coffee table as my make-shift desk/office. It isn't just any coffee table, it is one we got years ago, that the top rises up (sorry, I should have taken a pic of that fancy move). Then my husband modified it and put sides on it, so it would be somewhat enclosed. See I have a sick obsession with magazines and really don't like to part with them even after I've looked through them, so that gave me a place to hide them away. I even got some pretty baskets to contain them. (you see two baskets in the pic, but there are two more on the other side.) If I do nothing else today, it is going to be to organize and clean out my shit-hole of a coffee table / desk. I am hoping if I can accomplish this chore, it will make me better at finding important papers and bills when I need them. Now, if it could just make me have the money to actually pay all those bills that are piled up in there........that would be FREAKIN AWESOME!! But til that miracle happens , I will just be satisfied with a neat and organized coffee table or should I say "Office".
Thanks
xoxo

Wordless Wednesday

On Monday was my youngest son's 9th Birthday and I thought I would post pics from his 2 Birthday cakes!! The chalkboard cake we had at my mom's house on Sat. for his party with my family in New York. (Thomas loves to "play" teacher) The Spongebob cake we had at our house on Monday night with my husband's family. I can only take credit for baking the Spongebob one, my husband did the decorating on that one!! (he did a pretty good job for a neck brace wearing miserable pain in my ass!!) LOL

To check out some other great Wordless Wednesday pics check out 5 Minutes for Mom .

To Do Tuesday

Whew, am I glad that it is finally Tuesday!! Last week was an other "insane" week around here (hence, the new name change) Got through the Little Man's Birthday yesterday and feel like I can breath a little now. Hubby seems to be doing somewhat better, but still not where I thought he would be 2 weeks post surgery. Well, it is early and I am still quite exhausted from my week so I am just going to get right into my list!! Oh yeah, if you want to join in on the "To Do Tuesday" thing ..... go check out crazy Lisa over at Crazy Adventures in Parenting to see what she is up to , and to get all the info! * laundry (there is a mound of it calling my name) * clean out my freezers (that is the one thing I didn't get to from last week's list)* grocery list / shopping ( I have been really bad in this area lately, running to the store with only a list for a day or two worth of stuff, not being "on" with the coupons. but I did clean out my coupon thingy this weekend and cut out all the ones from the Sunday's paper already)* I guess I will start making my Christmas List / budget ( not sure how that is all going to work out , but if I at least make the list I will feel better)* work outside in the yard (not much for me to do out there, my father-in-law has hired some kid to do a lot and I have to say I am grateful for that!! whoo hooo)* catch up on Blog reading and commenting ( I really have been slacking the last couple of weeks on this and feel really bad, I miss you guys ) * continue to work on my blog layout/posts and finding someone to make me a custom header and button ( *ahem* any of you reading this that can do that sort of thing, leave a comment or DM me @Tina529) thanks * clean out my coffee table/office ( it is a wreck and soo disorganized) I think that is it for now, I am sure I am forgetting a whole bunch of other crap I should be doing but this a good enough start for me. Have a great week everyone and see you right back here next Tuesday!!

My Little Man Turns 9 Today

Today is my youngest son Thomas' 9th Birthday......... He was a bit of a "surprise" as you would call it. When I had my oldest son Nicholas, I thought to myself "that is it for me". I figured since my husband had 3 children from his first marriage, that I was totally fine with me only having to raise 1 child but he would still have siblings. (ya know, I figured "best of both worlds")
But then I guess there was a careless night in Feb of 2000, while we were living in New York (ooops) and about 5 weeks later I found out I was pregnant. Now at this point I had been married for about 5years, Nick was 7years old (yeah, yeah I know.......) and I really didn't know if I wanted to do this all over again. I love children don't get me wrong, but I had just settled into this job in New York and was moving up (granted it was an Orthopedics's Office). I had already gone from Receptionist, to Secretary and ended up downstairs away from the patients helping out the Bookkeeper. I know if I had stayed I would have been Office Manager, by the time I left in the Summer of 2000 there was 8 doctors and they were making plans to move the office to a bigger place and hire even more doctors. I really wrestled with the decision, I knew we would have to leave New York and move back to Connecticut. That was so hard, my family and friends are all there.
Here we are 9 years later and I would never change my decision. (believe me, there are a lot of decisions in my life I would change...but having Nicholas and Thomas are not two of them).

Thomas is really the sweetest kid you will ever meet, he does have his dark side though. He loves scary movies and has for a few years now. It is so crazy and creepy..... he once caught the movie "Child's Play" on the regular cable channel and he was hooked. I am sure he stopped and wanted to watch it because of the title, not realizing what the movie was about! LOL
He is a funny little kid too, he definitely has my sense of humor.....he keeps me laughing every day! He is not what you would call a "boy's boy" I would have to say he is more of a "mama's boy". (but that is fine with me) He loves to go outside and play (nothing in particular) just likes to run around like a crazy kid in any kind of weather. He plays with his Nintendo Ds, the computer, is into board games now, watches tv and "plays" teacher. He is hysterical, all he wants for his Birthday and Christmas is "teacher" supplies. (for God sakes his favorite store is Staples). I am assuming he is going to be a Teacher when he grows up!
Well, I hope you get a sense of my "little man" there is way more to him, but I acutally have to go wake his butt up for school. I posted just a few recent pics, it has been too crazy for my to go dig out baby pics and upload them.
Thanks
xoxo

New Name and Layout

Ok, I have been working on my blog all weekend....I am still not done, but I wanted you all to know that I decided to change the name. I never really cared for "Tales from Tina" so changed it to "Tina's Insane Life". It better describes me and my life, it is so freakin insane at times it is almost unbelievable!! I will try to get more into some of the crap that goes on, but I also get a little uncomfortable opening up that much. I don't want to come off like a lunatic, but really it is the people around me that are the real lunatics!! I seem to be a magnet for all the loonies!! So sit back and enjoy the ride..........
I will take all comments good and bad, and if there is anyone out there who does backgrounds or can easily work through all the HTML code, I could use all the help I can get.

Thanks again
xoxo

New Blog Layout

I am working on a new blog layout/template. So if you stop by and are thinking WTF, where am I?? Don't go, it is still me, Tina!! I have been wanting to do this for a long time and tonight I took the plunge. It might change again and possibly a new name too. ooooooh, it is sooo scary to me!! Bare with me, as I try to figure this all out. I will take all opinions , criticisms or ideas.
Thanks ....
xoxo

Wordless Wednesday

My Thomas' Favorite Holiday of The Year!!

Watch out Michael Myers is in the House!!

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Mom

To Do Tuesday

Ok, well last week was a total "wash" ......so this week's list is super long and I guess I will be happy if I can do half of what's on it!! Unfortunately, I am not going to have any Christmas talk on my list this week, unlike the crazy/supermom Lisa over at Crazy Adventures in Parenting who I so want to "BE"! She not only has Christmas Lists going she is in full-blown shopping mode. WTF, way to make me feel like a slacker!! LOL
If you want in on this "To Do Tuesday" or just go check out her "Crazy Adventures" go ahead, I dare ya!!

Here goes "The List From Hell" (why not, goes with my "Week from Hell")

* Haircuts for me and my two sons
* Oil Change in my truck (yeah, to me that is a "man's" job, but I am the "man of the house" now)
* pay bills/check my bank account balance (that should be pretty pathetic)
* Do coupons/grocery list/dinner list
* Take back all the recycling that has piled up in the back of my truck (yikes, this is going to take forever, I haven't done it in a couple weeks and we go through a lot of soda) I almost can't see out the review mirror , so that is how I know it is TIME
* clean both my freezers (they are sooo gross , it isn't even funny)
* clean out my coffee table (AKA , my "office") oooh, that is soo going to be a "post" one of these days.
* clean my shower/bathtub (that is about as nasty as the freezers)
* plan/buy gifts for my son's 9th Birthday (which is next Mondy, Holy Crap....I better get my ass in gear on this one!!)
* clean out my son's room/closet (to make room for the Birthday/Christmas gifts that are going to flood the house soon) oooooh, I mentioned Christmas!!!
* Almost forgot one, I must catch up on my blog reading and commenting ( I feel so bad, and really miss it!) sorry everyone, I will make my rounds this week!!

Well ya know what , that is it for now.......... I am getting tired just making this friggin list!!
Wish me Luck, I am going to need it!!
Thanks
xoxo

The Week From HELL....

Last week was honestly "The Week from HELL"..... My husband had his 2 part neck surgery Monday and Tuesday. I brought him home from the hospital on Wednesday evening. I cannot even describe how shitty the last 7 days have been!! First we will start off with the fact that I myself have been sick with a sinus infection/post nasal drip/bronchitis for the last 10 days (still feel like crap today, by the way) My husband had a similar neck fusion surgery a few years back and I don't know if he just got through that one easier or my mind blocked-out how horrific the post-surgery really was or what......... but this time really, really SUCKS!
Of course, like everything else I do for my family I do all by myself even though my mother-in-law lives right next door!! I know she has her own set of stresses with my father-in-law's health issues, but come-on!! He is your freakin son ... I know that if I went through even a 1/4 of what my husband is going through my mom would be right here to help him and me through it!! My mom has offered to come up from New York and help cook and just "be" with me, but I had to tell her "no". Since I am sick, I really don't want to risk her getting sick. My mom is a very healthy woman, but for some reason if she even gets a minor cold it ALWAYS turns into pneumonia.
I am so upset that all this chaos has also made Halloween Day not the best it could have been!! I was very stressed out that day, running around bringing Thomas to a Halloween party, running errand for everything my husband wanted to help make him more comfortable, 2 trips to Walgreens Pharmacy (yeah, DON'T ASK...) The night before he had a muscle spasm in his neck for 4 HOURS (from 4am-8am)!!!! Yeah, that was fun...let me tell you!!
Then the kicker......the cherry on top, was when right before I alone was going to take my 8yr old son out trick-or-treating I had made a comment to my mother-in-law that my house was a "wreck" and it was driving me crazy!! Ya know what her response was??......... "yeah, huh"
WTF, are you kidding me BITCH? So after I got home with Thomas, I sat down for a little while and then at about Midnight I decided it was time for me to start cleaning!! Oh, I ran my washing machine and dryer, I also ran my dishwasher. I was not gentle moving stuff around while straightening out my pantry (the back of that wall is right where they sleep)! She is lucky I didn't pull out my vacuum and start doing the whole house at 12:30am, cuz everyone over here was still awake!!!
Well that is enough of my "Bitch-fest"....hoping this week it gets a little better. My Thomas turns 9 one week from today and I really want it to be a special day for him!!
So, I am going to take a "deep-breath" and try to make it the best birthday week possible!!
Thanks
xoxo